Discover the latest industry news and audio post production.
Master action sound design with layering, anchor effects, dump tracks, sample variety, and mono hits for a dynamic and immersive mix.
December 2, 2017
The layering of sound effects is a common technique used when tracklaying most films. If you combine sounds with different frequency content, you tend to get a fuller mix. But what many people don't realise is that when laying action effects, a repeatable formula helps bring your projects to life.
On The Divison, we used the same layering formula repeatedly to achieve consistency and reliable results.
For example, each face punch consisted of a hit, bone crack, cloth whoosh, blood splatter, kick drum and designed impact:
Anchor effects help build a basis for hits in your tracklay. Placing them as a temp track on each effects cue lays a foundation that you can later build upon.
When designing gunshots and hits for The Division, we continuously used the same base layer, and then added unique effects to differentiate characters. Not only did this achieve coherency in our tracklay, but the mixing process became more predictable.
The use of Dump tracks allows you to temporarily store enough variations of sound effects to cover entire scenes.
For example, once all of your variations of punch effects are laid, you can copy them down to your Spot FX tracks as needed in the session, which speeds up your editing speed dramatically.
Using a variety of samples is crucial in achieving a dynamic mix which compliments the picture. It is not uncommon for us to use 30+ different variations of punch, kick, whoosh and bone cracks within a scene. Failure to do this will lower the perceived production value of the film, and make it feel like an old Kung Fu movie.
Most of your layers for a hit should be in mono, to give them direction in the mix. Try shortening and fading samples to provide more realism on fast paced scenes. Reverb and delay can provide spatial awareness and further worldizing where necessary.
This blog explores how sound, from dialogue and sound effects to mixing and Foley, plays a vital role in storytelling, world-building, and immersing audiences in a film.
November 7, 2017
Ever since 1920's when the ‘talkies’ (films with sound) started to emerge, filmmakers have been using dialogue heavily to convey emotion, complex narratives and continuity; and rightly so. There is no sound more stimulating to the human brain than speech, which is why most popular music includes vocals, as do most popular films. It is important to remember that this is why you must hire a good Location Sound Recordist and Dialogue Editor, to ensure that the audience hears one of the most effective storytelling tools at our disposal.
In this scene from The Wolf of Wall Street, the ambient sounds of the restaurant are pushed back to let the well recorded dialogue engross viewers without any musical support:
All of those doors closing, vehicles passing, crows cawing and punches to the face help present your film world to the audience. Sound effects aren’t there to simply fill spaces and on screen cues. They are there to world build and cover off screen elements too. How will your audience know the film’s location if it isn’t presented visually? The ambient sounds within your scenes will also give a sense of width and immersion which tells the audience where the scene is set and how to feel. This often allows visuals to be simpler and less direct.
In this famous scene from Saving Private Ryan, the audience is alerted to the location, and immersed mainly through Sound Effects:
In recent years, we have seen the most abstract and complex creatures created with CGI and Visual Effects. One thing that makes these creatures come to life, and feel relatable, is the way that they are Sound Designed. The use of animal noises, musical instruments and natural elements, taps into the psyche of the viewer, making them believe the powerful monster that they are seeing on screen could be real.
The sound of predatory animals like alligators, tigers and bears make up this monster and trigger our primal fear instincts in Avatar:
Foley is an interesting art form, in that many viewers don’t notice it until it isn’t there anymore. The work of a Foley Artist is crucial in achieving a full bodied and fluid soundtrack. Each character can have a personality with Foley, from the way they walk to the way they interact with items around them.
In this scene from Snatch, the Foley gives us an impression of a creaky, beaten old caravan camp, which sets our expectations low for the character of Mickey, only to surprise us with his strength later.
Mixing is an invaluable tool for Directors to create dynamics and flow between scenes. The use of spatial awareness with reverb and echoes provides a sense of the space that the film inhabits. The use of frequencies and pitch give an impression of the size of characters and props. The use of spatial panning extends the story beyond the screen and allows us to be immersed and surrounded with audio.
This scene from The Jungle Book puts Mowgli in the space of the creepy, deep jungle with heavy reverb on his voice. Kaa is brought closer to us by her echoey dialogue sound, which is accented with reverb only on specific words - adding to her guile and quiet ferocity.
What do you think - is Sound really 50% of a film? Let us know in the comments section below.
This blog outlines key audio post-production roles and tools, from sound designers to mixing equipment, essential for crafting a film’s sound.
October 6, 2017
Welcome to part 3 of Audio Post Production Demystified. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here. The media industry is fast paced and ever changing. Here at 344 Audio we are dedicated to keeping up with all of the latest trends and guiding filmmakers through our process. Join us in exploring some of the most highly anticipated emerging audio technologies used today. As an added bonus, we have provided a Language Glossary for our readers.
So, you are probably wondering, what's the next big step in film sound? We have 4K cinema projection, IMAX, 8K cameras, what has changed in audio?
One of the most exciting emerging technologies in film sound, comes from industry innovators Dolby. Dolby Atmos is a multichannel format that expands on the capabilities of 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound by offering additional speakers (up to 64 speakers in total) with some speakers being placed above the viewer. It also offers object based panning, which means that complex movements are no longer limited by the amount of speaker channels in a system.
The panning data of a sound is more specific and has a higher resolution when more speakers are employed in the playback system. This can create really dynamic and clear mixes with plenty of options to separate elements, as well as provide an immersive experience for viewers.
Other immersive audio formats are being used in 360 video, which employ object based panning, or ambisonics.
Adobe were met with considerable criticism and concern when they revealed Voco, a Speech Synthesis Technology that is working towards being indistinguishable from real human voices.
It works by recording at least 20 minutes of a Voice Actors speech, and can then generate phonemes from the resulting material, even some that were not present in the recordings.
The implications of this ethically are concerning to some, but it could mean that one day ADR Recording will become a thing of the past. Voice Actors would simply record their 20 minute's for various accents and dialects, and then license this to Producers for use in a film.
Audio software plugin developers Slate Digital, introduced their latest ground breaking technology recently - Slate Digital VMS.
This hardware/software combination uses an extremely transparent microphone and a sonically neutral preamplifier to capture signals and then process them in to order to replicate some of the industry's most revered modern and classic microphones.
The reason that this technology is so exciting, is that it allows the user to change the virtual microphone after recording, offering much more flexibility to alter the tone of a voice performance in the mix.
Krotos Audio are Edinburgh based software developers known for their forward thinking approach to Sound Design tools.
Boldly going where no one else will go, they have created two profucts which have changed the way that we create and implement Sound Design.
Their first product, Dehumaniser, has taken the industry by storm. It gives Sound Designers a much more intuitive and direct approach to designing creature and character vocalisations. It was used in the recent live action adaptation of Jungle Book and many other films and games. Dehumaniser offers a multi step process which shapes the performance of a Voice Actor in the studio. This allows their live performance to sound like an animal or monster.
Their second product, Reformer, allows users to speak or perform foley into a microphone, and trigger specific sounds. For example, we can speak into a microphone and generate random alarm sounds, tap on the floor to create the sounds of a walking Tiger or even bend some plastic to create flesh ripping effects.
Izotope are a household name in the world of sound for film. Their industry leading RX software controls and reduces unwanted artefacts and noisy audio.
Their latest venture however, is also a game changer. Neutron is a smart mixing tool that can help balance audio tracks intelligently, and save some time on fast turnaround projects. It uses multiple tools which analyse incoming audio and apply changes throughout the Final Mix.
Another product that has both surprised and excited the film sound community in recent years is Sound Particles.
This software allows for the use of 'particles', a CGI like system which can generate thousands of sounds and place them in a 3D space, capturing them through a user defined set of virtual microphones to increase the realism and extend the usefulness.
Common uses for this include battlefield scenes, where Sound Designers spend days crafting sound assets to immerse and excite the viewer. Sound Particles can take gunshot, vehicle and vocal recordings of your choice, randomise them and spread them across the sound stage, in much less time than it takes to execute this manually.
There are now 'Virtual Foley' softwares available, which allow Foley to be performed using a MIDI keyboard to trigger footstep sounds against the picture. The performer plays keys on the keyboard while the software cycles though tens of versions of footsteps for each shoe and surface type needed.
Although this software can be useful, it does not quite replicate the flow and artistry of a recorded Foley performance.
Equaliser (EQ) - An audio effect which attenuates or increases user defined frequencies.
High Pass/Low Cut Filter - An audio effect that attenuates all frequencies below a user defined frequency cutoff point.
Low Pass / High Cut Filter - An audio effect that attenuates all frequencies above a user defined frequency cutoff point.
Compressor - An audio effect that reduces the dynamic range of a signal.
Expander - An audio effect that increases the dynamic range of a signal.
Gate - An audio effect that mutes the signal once it's level falls below a certain threshold.
Reverb - An audio effect that simulates the reflective sounds of a room or space.
Delay - An audio effect that duplicates a signal and then delays it to create echo effects.
Chorus - An audio effect that uses multiple delays and offsets them by varying degrees to simulate a vocal chorus.
Phasing - An audio effect that uses a duplicate version of a signal with a variable phase shift to create movement.
Flanger - An audio effect that duplicates a signal and delays it by a small increment to create a metallic texture.
Time Compression/Expansion - A process in which audio is stretched or shortened without changing in pitch.
Pitch Shift - An process which changes the pitch of a signal.
Panning - An audio effect where the signal moves around the stereo field.
Noise Reduction - An audio effect that can aid in reducing noise, clicks, pops, breaths and other unwanted sounds within a signal.
Dry - An audio signal before processing.
Wet - An audio signal after processing.
Oscillator - A device that generates an audio waveform, usually used for sound design in synthesizers or for testing audio devices.
Output - The location where a signal leaves the device.
Input - The location where a signal enters the device.
Amplify - Increase the level of a signal.
Attenuate - Decrease the level of a signal.
Psychoacoustics - The science behind the perception of sound.
Doppler Effect - A psychoacoustical phenomena in which a sound appears to change in pitch as it moves past the listener at high speeds.
Haas Effect - A psychoacoustical phenomena in which two duplicate signals are only perceived as independent from one another when delayed by >30 ms or amplified by >10dB.
Masking - A psychoacoustical phenomena in which louder sounds affect the clarity of quieter sounds within the same frequency band.
Threshold Of Pain - The level at which sound can become painful to humans, generally accepted to be 120dB SPL.
Threshold Of Hearing - The level at which sound can become audible to humans, generally accepted to be 0dB SPL.
Decibel (dB) - A logarithmic scale for the relative measurement of a sound's intensity level.
Volume - A non technical term that usually refers to the SPL of a signal.
Loudness - A term used to describe the perceived intensity of a signal, which is usually subjective. Loudness can be measured in Loudness Units (LUFS) or Sound Pressure Level (SPL).
Gain - A parameter which alters the input level of an audio device.
Headroom - The difference between the peak and average level (RMS) of an audio waveform.
Normalise - To adjust the level of a signal so that it's highest peak is at a user defined level.
Frequency Range - The range of frequencies in which an electronic device is useful.
Dynamic Range - The difference between the highest and lowest signal level in an audio waveform.
Signal To Noise Ratio - The ratio in level between desirable audio (signal) and undesirable audio (noise) within a recording.
Noise Floor - The level of noise below the desired signal level. This can be measured in Decibels (dB).
Bit Depth - The resolution of an audio signal, measured by the amount of bits per sample.
Sample Rate (kHz) - The number of samples an audio signal carries per second.
Mono Recording - An audio file which has been recorded with a single microphone.
Stereo Recording - An audio file which has been recorded with two or more microphones.
In Sync - An objective measurement made by the Sound Team which shows that two audio waveforms align correctly.
Out Of Sync - An objective measurement made by the Sound Team which shows that two audio waveforms do not align correctly.
Analogue Signal - A smooth continuous waveform with infinite set of values.
Digital Signal - A waveform with steps and a finite set of values.
Phase Cancellation - An audio discrepancy caused by a duplicated signal being phase inverted (waveform being turned upside down) which can attenuate the signal level completely.
Feedback - An audio discrepancy caused by a signal being recorded and reproduced in close proximity, which can cause loud distorted sounds.
Clipping - A distortion caused by recording or exporting audio above the systems capable level. The upper limits of the waveform will be squared off.
Resonant Peak - An audio discrepancy caused by a narrow range of frequencies that are much more prominent in a signal.
White Noise - An audio discrepancy caused by using inferior recording equipment.
Hum/Rumble - An audio discrepancy caused by the presence of electrical equipment in close proximity to the microphone when recording.
Click - An audio discrepancy that occurs when an unwanted transient is present in an audio waveform.
Pop - An audio dependency that occurs when plosives (P, B) are used in speech and the microphone is not appropriately protected.
Overdubbing - The process of layering recordings together through multiple performances.
WAVE File (.wav) - an uncompressed audio file format that can carry extensive metadata. The BWF variation can carry additional data such as time stamps.
Audio Interchangeable Format File (.aiff) - An uncompressed audio file format created by Apple.
MP3 File (.mp3) - A compressed audio file format widely used in music.
Advanced Audio Coding File (.aac) - A compressed audio file format commonly attached to compressed video files.
Phantom Power - A system used to supply condenser microphones with operating power, negating the need for external power supplies.
Tweeter - The part of a speaker that reproduces high frequencies.
Woofer - The part of a speaker that reproduces low frequencies.
Automation - A process in which a DAW can adjust user defined parameters whilst the mix plays.
Beats Per Minute (BPM) - A steady clock which represents the perceived speed of a music track.
Condenser Microphone - A microphone powered by 48V Phantom Power.
Dynamic Microphone - A microphone powered by the movement of air.
Congratulations, you have now completed all three parts of our comprehensive guide to Audio Post Production. If you are looking for a refresher on Job Roles or Workflow in Audio Post, check out part 1 and part 2 of this series. Let us know what you want to read about next!
This blog outlines key audio post-production roles and tools, from sound designers to mixing equipment, essential for crafting a film’s sound.
September 30, 2017
Welcome to part 2 of Audio Post Production Demystified. Our goal with this series is to help educate Filmmakers and like minded creatives about the mysteries of Audio Post Production. Last week we covered Job Roles and Technology. In this week’s post we will take you through the Workflow journey from Pre Production to Deliverables.
In today's fast paced media world, workflow is everything. The following is an ideal scenario, spending the time and budget to make your film both creatively and artistically brilliant with sound.
Reading and annotating the script to form a basis of ideas that the Director can critique and build upon.
The Sound Supervisor may get involved with building the team for both Location Sound and Post Production. It is also important to build relationships between the team here.
Sound Supervisors and/or Location Sound Recordists will want to be present during location visits to troubleshoot sound issues and to look for opportunities for recording sound effects.
The Sound Supervisor/Supervising Sound Editor will have a meeting with the Director, to perform a thorough creative analysis of the film and it's required sound assets.
The Sound Effects Recordist will capture sounds that add authenticity and character to the film. These recordings can be taken from a variety of places, both at the location of the production, and during specific field recording trips.
Some sounds may need to be created before production begins, to be played on set for actor's cues or to meet the Director's approval in time for Post Production to start.
The Post Production Sound Team will take a step back at this stage, allowing the Location Sound Team to take care of the sound recording on set.
The Post Production Sound Team will be heavily involved in the film here, from both a technical and artistic standpoint. They will complete the following tasks:
The Supervising Sound Editor and Re-recording Mixer will start by building a DAW master template that is suitable for the given project. This will likely house more than enough audio tracks to cover the whole films dialogue, sound effects and foley ready for mixing. They will then begin importing the necessary files: Video File with guidance audio track (used for checking synchronisation between sound and picture and OMF/AAF files (used for delivery of the production tracks synced by the Picture Editor). *Further guidance on how to deliver files to your Sound Team can be requested via email at: alex@344audio.com*
The Dialogue Editor will either take sections from the master template above or use his own smaller DAW template to edit the dialogues. They will be using the OMF/AAF files delivered by the Picture Editor which contain the raw Dialogue and Location Sound recordings correctly synced to the picture. Dialogue Editing involves trimming and extending clips, adding fades, copy and pasting, swapping out takes and rendering audio repair effects onto clips. Removing any inconsistent and uncomfortable sounds allows the Re-recording Mixer to perform the mix with smooth and clean dialogue tracks. The Dialogue Edit can make or break a mix, so it is crucial to ensure that this sounds great before the Producer and Director make final approvals.
The Sound Effects/Design team is often the largest sub-department and has the most extensive workload on some projects. They will use a part of the larger master template, dragging, dropping, syncing, fading and checking audio files against the picture. They build layers of sound effects taken from personal or commercial libraries to create an immersive soundscape in line with the Directors notes. These sounds come in multiple categories:
Spot Effects are intended to cover obvious sounds on screen such as doors, vehicles, fist punches etc. They may also be used to replace or enhance sounds captured on the production tracks that aren't suitable for the Final Mix. Spot Effects can be quite complex, a combination of intensive sound editing sessions and communicating with the Foley team are needed to get the best results. Action films tend to be heavier on Spot Effects, as they include more vehicles, gunshots and punches; all of which must be covered.
Background Effects are used to widen the stereo image of your film, and surround the viewer in the mix. They are often long, consistent and looping sounds that can give the audience a different perception of what is on screen. For example, if a scene has howling resonant wind it may feel empty or scary, but if it has tweeting birds it may feel more peaceful. Background Effects can also hide issues in the production track, and tend to sell the continuity between shots in your scenes and transitions. They can also be a way to hide issues in your production tracks. For example, if you have a generator rumble under your dialogue, you may be able to hide it with a refrigerator noise if the scene is within a house. They can be quite extensive on some projects. It is not uncommon to see 8 or more layers of ambient sound covering a scene simultaneously.
These elements cover unnatural/otherworldly sounds, musical sound design or audio that must be manipulated and heavily layered to get the desired result. Examples include monster growls, earthquakes, spaceships, trailer sound effects and drones.
Foley is intended to cover human (and sometimes non human) interactions with objects. It is created by a Foley Artist watching the picture and performing relevant actions with various objects. The main aim of Foley is to cover footsteps, clothes movement and additional sounds aka props. These include details such as gun handling, kissing and coins in pockets. More advanced Foley covers content such as weather and environmental effects.
Due to the nature of how most DAW systems work, any changes to the Picture Edit that take place after the Post Production Sound Team have started working, will cause synchronisation issues. Anything from a single frame change to multiple scene cuts must be logged by the editor and delivered to the Sound Supervisor in the form of an Edit Decision List (EDL) and a new video file. It is best to avoid this as additional costs will be incurred, expensive software solutions will be needed, and the Sound Team may need to re-edit their tracklay (combination of dialogue, sound effects, foley and music) manually.
Mixing is the process of taking all of the elements within the soundtrack and balancing them into a cohesive tapestry of sound. The Final Mix will be performed by the Dubbing Mixer/Re-recording Mixer after all of the tracklay is completed and the Director has approved the work. The Re-recording Mixer will use a combination of software tools to sculpt the mix, ensuring that dialogue is consistent, the foley is realistic, sound effects have an interesting surround field, the music blends well and there is a pleasant tonal balance overall.
Mixing sound for picture involves a lot of artistic performance. Re-recording Mixers tend to cue the picture while moving faders, pots and touching screens on digital mixing desks, which yields a very fluid sound. Their eyes, ears and hands are used in tandem whilst working.
Another crucial element to mixing is the distance perception of sounds. Dialogue is usually situated at the centre of a mix, but will have effects added to push it further from the viewer when characters are further away visually. The remaining tracklay will fill and take advantage of whatever 'percieved space' the given speaker system and delivery specification provides. This means that the more channels you have in your mix (common setups include Stereo 2.0, Surround 5.1 or Surround 7.1), the more options you have to immerse the audience and place sounds in different areas of the listening environment.
For Theatrical Release, the Final Mix should have more dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds) than a mix for Television or Online Distribution. This is to allow for a more pleasant and emotional journey when listening through an ideal system (cinema) vs. a more consistent and louder mix when listening through a less than ideal system (television speakers, phone speakers).
Deliverables are provided by your Sound Team once you have made approvals on the Final Mix. Here are some common things that you may need:
The most affordable and backwards compatible Final Mix that you can ask for. This consists of two channels (Left and Right) and is the format you are used to listening to music or watching YouTube videos in. It is usually delivered in a single Stereo WAV file at 24Bit 48kHz.
A Surround Mix is usually more expensive than a Stereo Mix, due to the equipment, accuracy and time required. A Surround Mix will sound much better than a Stereo Mix if being played in a large cinema style room, but is less backwards compatible.
5.1 consists of 6 speakers (Left, Right, Centre, LFE, Left surround, Right surround), while 7.1 consists of 8 speakers (adding two additional surround speakers). The LFE (low frequency effects) speaker is used for moments in a mix that need to be enhanced with low frequencies, e.g. explosions. 5.1 surround is the format that you will be used to hearing in cinemas, or when watching DVD's on a home theatre surround system. Surround mixes are usually delivered in 6 Mono WAV files (5.1) or 8 Mono WAV files (7.1) at 24Bit 48kHz and have to be configured by the editor or DCP engineer to operate correctly in the cinema.
'Stems' is a term used by audio professionals which refers to separated sections of a completed mix. The most common is Music, Dialogue and Effects. These can be required for various reasons: film trailers, foreign language mixes etc. The Sound Team will deliver these if requested in the form of 3 separated mix tracks.
A theatrical mix usually has a wide dynamic range, and is often not required to meet any loudness specifications. It's dynamic range is based mostly on subjective artistic choices. It is worth mentioning though, that some theatrical mixes must be mixed in a Dolby Certified Studio or will not pass quality control.
A broadcast compliant mix has less dynamic range, and has to meet the required loudness standards of any given country. It's dynamic range is based mostly on audio meter measurements. If it doesn't meet the required specifications, the mix will be rejected and will have to be corrected and replaced before it can be broadcast. Common standards include EBU R128 (Europe) and ATSC A/85 (USA).
An online mix has even less dynamic range, yet is often not required to meet any loudness specifications. It's dynamic range is based mostly on getting a loud enough mix for listening on mobile devices from video streaming websites.
Please be aware that some companies impose their own mix specifications and that these change continuously, for example Netflix have their own standard, as do some other distributors.
There are some important things to note when the sound team communicates with different members of the crew, and what you can expect to gain from these discussions.
The most important collaboration in every project comes from the Director and Sound Supervisor/Supervising Sound Editor. The relationship built at the pre production stage will allow both parties to push the creative direction further and further until completion. The Sound Supervisor takes the Directors notes and converts them into practical tasks, which members of the Sound team will perform.
The Sound Team will likely be in constant liaison with the Producer to organise the business transactions needed to complete the project. Examples include purchasing sound effects libraries, specific software, foley props and recording locations.
The Sound Supervisor will stay in touch with the Composer, discussing creative ideas to help fuse sound and music. They can create contrasts by letting music lead in some moments, and sound design shine in others.
The Sound Supervisor and Team will likely need to liaise with the Location Sound Mixer to discuss delivery requirements, and talk over any recording issues and solutions.
From Pre Production Script Analysis to delivery of the Final Mix, we hope that with this knowledge you understand how crucial each step of the Audio Post process is. Take the time to build relationships with everyone involved. Don’t forget to meet us here for next week’s blog where we’ll be discussing emerging sound technologies and offering a comprehensive sound terminology glossary.
This blog outlines key audio post-production roles and tools, from sound designers to mixing equipment, essential for crafting a film’s sound.
September 22, 2017
At 344 Audio, we are drawn to sharing knowledge with creatives of all kinds. That's why we have decided to formulate a three part guide to answer the questions that many filmmakers may have regarding Audio Post Production. Today’s focus will be the break down of the job roles and technologies used within our industry.
Due to budgetary constraints and technological advancements, some of these roles are now blurred within smaller projects. You should still be aware of their existence, and manage your expectations based on the sound team that you can afford:
A Sound Designer is a multi skilled sound professional who gets creatively and technically involved with making sounds to tell a story. On smaller budget projects, the Sound Designer may also be the Dialogue Editor, Sound Editor, Re-recording Mixer, Sound Supervisor and sometimes the Foley Artist.
Dialogue Editors take the Location Sound that is synced up by the picture editor, and work to ensure a constant flow of dialogue without clicks, pops, noise, distortion and discontinuities.
A Sound Editor takes recordings from sound libraries and places them in sync with the picture to help create a seamless flow of continuity and narrative.
A Re-recording Mixer takes the audio tracks that the team have created, deciding which elements will remain (in line with the Director's notes) as well as their overall tonal balance, distance perception and technical needs for the final deliverables of the Sound Mix.
Foley Artists perform sounds that would be impractical to create with sound effects and sound design. Examples include footsteps, cloth movement and gun handling. They also add a layer of continuity to your actors performance.
Foley Mixers record the sounds that the Foley Artist creates, giving them feedback on the performance whilst listening for technical issues.
Foley Editors edit the Foley Artist's work, to make it sync with the picture and to assure that it is suitable for mixing by the Re-recording Mixer.
A head of department, who often helps with building the Sound Team and overseeing collaboration with the Director and Producers to achieve the best Final Mix possible.
A Field Recordist who records custom sound effects for your project, often with high end equipment.
ADR Mixers record ADR (automated dialogue replacement) to replace unusable audio from location. They liase with the Director and Talent to get the best performance and believability out of the recordings.
There are many technologies that the Sound Team will use to help enhance your film, adding flair and interest to the Final Mix.
The software that the Sound Team use to perform the majority of their post production tasks. Current industry standards include Avid Pro Tools and Steinberg Nuendo. It is the equivalent of the NLE in picture editing and films will often end up with at least 100 tracks of audio.
The Sounds that form the basis of many film soundtracks. Independent Sound Effects Recordists gather, edit and distribute these online. The industry standard formats are 24Bit 48kHz and 24Bit 96kHz WAV. They are usually sold within themes - 'car engines' 'dinosaurs' 'scifi weapons' etc.
A wide variety of specialised microphones are used inside and outside of the studio to achieve the necessary recordings for the production. Some common microphones include the Sennheiser MKH 416, Neumann U87, RODE NTG3.
Field Recorders are used to record and store audio recordings. Some common recorders include the Sound Devices 633, Zoom F8, Sony PCM-D100 And Zoom H6.
This device is used as a bridge between microphones, external equipment and the computer workstation within a studio. Most interfaces have microphone pre amplifiers for recording a range of material. Popular brands include Avid, Focusrite and M-Audio.
High end computer workstations are used to process the multitude of tracks, recordings and software plugins that the Sound Team will use.
A peripheral included in many products or it can be standalone. It amplifies the signal captured by the microphone and determines the noise floor and dynamic range of the recordings.
A Control Surface or Mixing Desk is used to balance and control the audio tracks, execute DAW functions and achieve a coherent Final Mix. Common control surfaces include Avid S6 and Digidesign ICON D-Control.
Specialised speakers, that offer a more 'flat' frequency response curve and accuracy than consumer systems, giving the Sound team and Director insights into how the mix really sounds. Popular brands include Genelec, Dynaudio and ADAM Audio.
A device intended for musical use, which can generate electronic sounds defined and sculpted by the user with various parameters.
Software plugins are an extension to the DAW, and usually come in the form of an effect inside of a DAW. Common examples are equalisation and compression. Third party plugins allow various extra features to be implemented to your workflow. Common examples include software for audio restoration, alternative metering, and the ability to use immersive audio formats.
These 'props' are used to perform various character movements. Foley Pits usually contain multiple surfaces that a Foley Artist can walk on to create believable Footstep performances.
Now that you're familiar with the job roles and technology of audio post production, keep an eye out for Part 2 where we'll dive into the full audio post workflow.
